# Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya

Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya (transl. My dear, would you like to eat a laddu?), also known by the initialism KLTA, is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by K. S. Manikandan in his debut. The film stars Santhanam, Srinivasan, newcomer Sethu and Vishakha. Based on the 1981 Tamil Indru Poi Naalai Vaa by K. Bhagyaraj, it revolves around three friends who fall for the same girl, who has just moved into their neighbourhood.
Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya marked Santhanam's venture into film production with his Handmade Films. The film was co-produced by Rama Narayanan via Sri Thenandal Films while Thaman S scored the soundtrack, and cinematography was handled by Balasubramaniem. It was released on 13 January 2013, and became a box office success.

## Plot

Kaalkattu Kaliyaperumal (KK), Power Kumar (Power) and Shiva are three friends with no occupation other than getting drunk and chasing girls. A girl named Sowmiya moves in with her family to the house opposite Shiva. The three friends fall for the girl's beauty and make a gentlemen's agreement to let the girl choose her boyfriend. The three attempt different methods to woo her. Shiva helps Sowmiya's aunt with household work; KK joins Sowmiya's uncle to learn singing; and Power joins Sowmiya's father to learn Bharatanatyam.
One day, when none of Sowmiya's family members are home, the three eventually profess their love, leaving Sowmiya confused. Following the advice of her neighbour, Sowmiya reveals to all three that she loves actor Silambarasan "Simbu". The neighbourhood boys then decide to bring Simbu as a gift for Sowmiya's birthday, but Simbu denies knowing anyone named Sowmiya. They then hire a thug named "Kolaveri" David to kidnap Simbu, but he kidnaps Sowmiya instead. As Simbu refused to help them, Shiva, KK, and Power go and save Sowmiya from David, and she chooses Shiva because Power and KK had earlier beaten Sowmiya's uncle and father severely; they later marry.

## Cast

* Santhanam as Kaalkattu Kaliyaperumal (KK)
* Srinivasan as Power Kumar (Power)
* Sethu as Shiva
* Vishakha as Sowmiya
* VTV Ganesh as Krishnamoorthi
* Sivasankar Master as Sowmiya's father
* Pattimandram Raja as Shiva's father
* Kovai Sarala as Sowmiya's aunt
* Vanitha Krishnachandran as Shiva's mother
* Devadarshini as Sowmiya's neighbour
* K. Bujji Babu as Power Kumar's father
* Master Ananthu as Sowmiya's brother
* Cool Suresh as Kolaveri David's henchman
* Ganeshkar as an auto driver
* Stunt Silva as Kolaveri David (uncredited)
* Swaminathan as Sowmiya's neighbour (uncredited)
* Lollu Sabha Manohar as an ad film actor (uncredited)
* Kanakarajsamy as Double-decker Narayanan (uncredited)

### Cameo appearances

* Gautham Vasudev Menon as a fictional version of himself
* Silambarasan as a fictional version of himself
* Robert (in the song "Aasaiye Alai Poley")
* Ashwanth Thilak (uncredited appearance in the song "Hey Unnathan")

## Production

Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya marked Santhanam's venture into film production with his Handmade Films, and co-produced by Rama Narayanan. It was initially planned to be a film similar to the Hangover series, but due to budget constraints, the story was placed in Karaikudi and Kumbakonam. The film's title is derived from a catchphrase that appeared in Tamil Cadbury Shots advertisements. Sethu, a longtime friend of Santhanam, was offered one of the lead roles, making his acting debut. Srinivasan, when approached by Santhanam to co-star, initially believed it was a joke, and learned about his role only when he went to shoot. The film, first reported in June 2012, was formally launched a month later. By that November, filming was almost complete, except for two song sequences.

## Soundtrack

The music was composed by Thaman S. The audio was released on 10 December 2012. It features a remixed version of the song "Aasaiyae Alaipolae" from the 1958 film Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum, composed by K. V. Mahadevan. The song "Love Letter" is based on "Naan Unnai Vaazhthi Paadugiren" from the 1971 film Nootruku Nooru, composed by V. Kumar.
Musicperk rated the album 7/10 stating, "The composer Thaman has done a credible job to make sure the album’s genre is met with properly". Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Times of India wrote, "KLTA is a collection of numbers that might work only if seen with visuals". Karthik of Milliblog wrote, "Very Thaman… very listenable – good laddu, this!"

## Release

Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya was distributed by Red Giant Movies, who booked nearly 250 screens for the film's release. It was initially scheduled to release on 21 December 2012, but was shifted to 26 January 2013. Prior to the revised 13 January 2013 release date, filmmaker K. Bhagyaraj filed a suit against the filmmakers stating that they used the same storyline as his 1981 film Indru Poi Naalai Vaa. He also accused the makers of falsely claiming to have acquired the rights from his film. It was later announced that the film, upon orders of a high court, would acknowledge both Bhagyaraj and his Indru Poi Naalai Vaa story in the credits.

## Critical reception

Vivek Ramz from In.com rated the film three-and-a-half out of five and stated that "KLTA is a perfect Pongal treat for the family thanks to its clean humour. Go watch it and have a blast!" N. Venkateswaran from The Times of India also gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars saying "Manikandan has now carved out a name for himself in the Tamil film industry". Sify gave it three stars writing, "Gags galore, Laughs. This one's strictly for Kollywood junkies whose funny bones are easy to tickle", and called the film a "Jolly fun ride". Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu said that the film was "a light-hearted fun film for the festive season, if you don't mind the crassness, that is!" and found many similarities to older films with the idea of several men trying to woo a girl already present in the 1971 release Uttharavindri Ulle Vaa. R S Prakash of Bangalore Mirror wrote, "A paper-thin script has been made to made sizzle right from the first frame, thanks to the strength of the film's comedy content".

## Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| South Indian International Movie Awards | 12–13 September 2014 | Best Debutant Producer – Tamil | Handmade Films | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| South Indian International Movie Awards | 12–13 September 2014 | Best Comedian – Tamil | Srinivasan | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| Vijay Awards | 5 July 2014 | Best Comedian | Srinivasan | Nominated | [31] [32] |